The September '21 Grand Tour of mid and north Wales in a motorhome Day 25

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Off on our bikes today. We set off eastwards along the Llangollen canal, first to Trevor. Well, not quite. We did go into town to grab a paper and then had a coffee at the canal side café just back along up the hill.  

Then we cycled eastwards!

We have never quite got the idea of barging if we are honest. We can understand why people do it. Sedately chugging along at walking pace, admiring the scenery and nature, a slow pace of life. But it isn’t for us, although I do admire the boats. I always stop to admire boats and can appreciate the expert carpentry and painting that makes a barge so unique. Of course, I always ignore anything big, white and plastic. Floating gin palaces; I don’t like them. Obviously, goes without saying! No soul to them!

The art work on the barges passing us today is skilful and attractive and it makes me wonder about how it seems to be that we are losing our skilled craftsmen and women. They are reaching a certain age and retiring and not being replaced.  At the Trevor basin, it is great to see so many young people employed servicing the barges and maintaining them. But what about the traditional country trades – thatching, stonemason work? Why haven’t we encouraged more apprenticeships in those over the years? Joiners, lime plasterers, glazers? Glassblowers - a shortage of brickies, sparkies, welders and chippies and blacksmiths?

Our heritage sector is worth £31 billion and employs 465,000 people, generating £17 billion in tourist revenues annually. But, I’m struggling to see how schools are currently encouraging students to leave to take up such apprenticeships.

 

At the Trevor basin it is fair to say there is complete chaos. Hard as it is to believe, there is no traffic light system at the river into the basin or across the aqueduct. You wait and wait and then hope it is all clear the other end as you start your approach to basin or aqueduct. Frustrations are simmering amongst helmsmen and women on the basin side for the steady flow of traffic westwards across the aqueduct is stopping eastern progress!

We walk onto the high Pontysyllte aqueduct, with the river Dee way below to admire the views. You need a head for heights and if you are helming a barge across you definitely need a head for heights because there is no safety railing on one side of you whatsoever!

 

Leaving wobbly people and frustrated barge folk behind, we hop back on the bikes and head back westwards, back past Llangollen and out the other side. Slowly passing the horses drawing the old barges along, (nice to see the old ways still being kept up for tourists), we stop at The Chain Bridge Hotel for a meal. Canoeists are chancing the rapids below and from the outside terrace area we get a good view of their antics. Various diesel locomotives and DMU’s stop at the station opposite high above the river bed, on the Llangollen railway heritage line to Corwen.

There is still time for an ice cream and a wonder around the town centre. Although it is busy, people are being sensible. Mask wearing seems high out on the street and when entering shops. There is a buzz around the main street and on the main road bridge over the Dee. It is good to see people enjoying themselves sensibly after such a hard year.  And then? It’s full-on turbo mode back up the hill to the camp site.

A lazy day. A nice day.

Route: National Cycle routes 85 and 84

Distance cycled:   approximately 16 miles